| Lunch With Bobby Jenks... |
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 Bobby Jenks
Bobby grew up with the Cleveland County Fair. His dad, Farrell Jenks, started a concession business and worked fairs mostly in the Southeast. He worked for Doc Dorton, the fair’s first manager. Bobby fondly recalled his dad taking him over to Doc Dorton’s when he was about 6 or 7 years old. Doc lived just behind, what is now, Cleveland Regional Medical Center. The most memorable thing about Doc’s home was his carport. Bobby said: that to this day, he still hasn’t seen anything like it. Doc had a carport that he built around a big oak tree. There, in the middle of the carport, stood the tree. It was an awesome sight, especially for a little boy.
Bobby helped his dad in the concession business selling mostly popcorn, cotton candy and the ever popular funnel cakes. When he graduated from high school he went to work full-time, all the time. He never got to college. He said that work was his education. Bobby has worked 57 years at various fairs, including the biggest county fair in the Southeast, the Cleveland County Fair. He worked for years for Joe Goforth, who he refers to with great admiration, as “Mr. Fair”.
When I asked Bobby how he would describe himself, he said: “I’ve always been a country boy and probably always will be that way. The main thing is that if you work hard, you can always accomplish something and you have to stay positive.”
Bobby is a simple, unpretentious man. What you see is what you get. He is dedicated and determined to “get back to the basics” as far as the fair is concerned. He wants the atmosphere to be welcoming and very friendly. He said he takes his inspiration from Joe Goforth. In just eight weeks he has added some new things which he thinks belong at the fairgrounds. These include: chairs and tables with umbrellas for people to sit and eat along with benches throughout the grounds so folks can “sit a spell and rest”. He believes the fair needs a new building and easier accessed parking. As far as attendance, Bobby believes this year could be the biggest ever.
“If we can get sunshine and good weather, we’ll take care of the rest.” He also told me that the fair’s new name will include the roots of how it began. In the future the fair will be referred to as “The Cleveland County Agriculture Fair”! As far as change, this very plain spoken man will tell you: “We want to change everything for the better and give a fresh appearance with a country look. I’ll do anything they want me to do.”
When he was named Interim Manager, he said: “I was sure I could do a lot of things that needed to be done.” In keeping with his emphasis on agriculture, a new “Yesteryear Farm” display of antique farm equipment will be featured at the fair. “It will tell us where we came from and how we got here.” Reithhoffer Show’s is also bringing a new giant swing attraction called “Vertigo”.
In a very short period of time, Bobby Jenks is off and running. This farm boy, who still lives at the family’s home-place, says he feels good after 57 years: “to get on the front side.” When I asked him if some people refer to him as “just an old country bumpkin”, he smiled at me and quickly said: “that would be good.” He’s proud of who he is and where he came from and he intends to apply for the permanent Cleveland County Fair Manager position at the end of this year. The 2013 Cleveland County Fair will be held September 26th through October 6th. For more information and this year’s schedule visit www.clevelandcountyfair.com .
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